Robotics News – Latest Headlines

DARPA launched the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program with a radical goal: gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for an advanced electromechanical prosthetic upper limb with near-natural control that enhances independence and improves quality of life for amputees. Today, less than eight years after the effort was launched, that dream is a reality; the FDA approved the DEKA Arm System.

To date, no robotics scientist has been able to create ultra-flexible tactile skin. Either the sensor has been too big or the electronics not sufficiently flexible. Now, however, researchers believe they have found a way of incorporating electronics and sensors on bendable silicon-based surfaces that will be 50 micrometers thick.

Scientists are working with a team of autism experts and robotics designers at the company Robokind to create Robots4Autism. This program uses an artificially intelligent robot with a full range of facial expressions to interact with children who have ASD.

Set to be launched on May 6th on the edX platform, the new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) of the Technische Universität München (TUM) will teach participants how to navigate these convenient aircraft. The 8-week 'Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots' course consists of weekly presentations of learning videos, while participants themselves can complete interactive practice exercises with a quadrotor.

Biotechnology company Sanaria Inc.aims to raise at least $250,000 in a crowdfunding campaign. Funds will be dedicated to the development of SporoBot, a robot that will dissect mosquito salivary glands. By replacing manual microdissection of mosquito salivary glands, Sporobot will automate a key step in the manufacturing process of Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine against malaria.

Even today, aircraft wings are still assembled manually; but this process could soon be automated thanks to a novel snake-like robot capable of tightening bolts in even the most difficult-to-access cavities of the wing structure.

Stanford scientists have developed faster, more energy-efficient microchips based on the human brain - 9,000 times faster and using significantly less power than a typical PC. This offers greater possibilities for advances in robotics and a new way of understanding the brain.

EVOLVINGROBOT is a European research project which has developed an artificial intelligence system to control tiny robots, enabling them to replicate the 'swarming' behaviour seen in insects such as bees or ants, or even in birds and fish. It is an innovation which could have far-reaching implications for a range of human activities, from medical to industrial, military and disaster relief.

Researchers have successfully used a colony of rodent-like robots to watch different mating strategies evolve. The work not only generated interesting and unexpected results, but it has also helped validate the use of robots in the study of evolution.